RYEY – Chapter 78 A Big Deal Once

That evening, Cheng Qiao went into another empty room of the new house. She took out rice, flour, and other supplies from the shop inside her space, then stored them back into the space again.

There was no other way. After many trials, she had discovered that goods from the shop couldn’t go directly into the black soil, but things from the black soil could enter the shop.

So, if she wanted to withdraw large amounts from the shop, she had to take them out, let them “make a round trip” outside, then send them into the black soil. Once the shop automatically replenished its inventory, she could repeat the process.

Li Huan stood guard outside, peeking in through the crack in the door. He watched bag after bag of grain appear on the floor, then vanish, then reappear again a while later, then vanish again.

“Wife, aren’t you exhausted fiddling around like this? Can’t you just do it all at once?”

When Cheng Qiao came out, Li Huan couldn’t hold back his question.

“Ah, I can’t help it. Magical tools all have their flaws. If I could take out that much at once, why would I be fussing around like this?”

Li Huan didn’t ask further. He still didn’t quite understand what she meant, but this kind of thing was too fantastical—he worried his brain couldn’t handle it.

“Here, these are for you.”

Cheng Qiao handed him all kinds of cigarettes, liquor, and tea. Most men loved these things, but since they weren’t daily necessities, not only were they expensive, they also required ration coupons.

“Cheng Qiao, you really are the best wife. How much are these? I’d better write it down. I’ll give you the money later.”

“Alright, write it down. I don’t even know how much to charge.”

Li Huan found a pen and notebook, recording everything carefully. As someone often active in the black market, he already had all the prices memorized.

The next morning, Auntie Wang came over with her husband and son. Mother Li hurried to welcome them. Li Le went to fetch Xiao Hua and the other girls to collect firewood at the back hill.

Li Huan, meanwhile, went to Uncle Niu’s house to borrow his ox cart. Uncle Niu was drinking corn porridge. Ever since Cheng Qiao had given him a hundred catties of cornmeal, he no longer had to eat those hard sorghum buns.

“Uncle Niu, here’s a pack of cigarettes for you.”

“You little rascal, borrowing my ox cart again, aren’t you?”

“Just say whether you’ll lend it or not.”

“Of course I’ll lend it. Cigarettes like these cost over a dime—worth more than the cart fee. Just don’t you dare whip my old ox, got it?”

Li Huan nodded. He knew how much Uncle Niu cherished his ox. He would never mistreat it.

After returning home to pick up Cheng Qiao, they headed toward the county town. Along the way, they ran into Skinny Monkey, who was riding a borrowed bicycle. After chatting for a while, he tossed the bicycle onto the cart and sat next to Li Huan.

“Here, have a smoke.”

Skinny Monkey quickly accepted, biting one cigarette between his lips while rummaging in his pocket for a box of matches.

“Brother Huan, this cigarette tastes even purer than the ones from the supply and marketing co-op.”

“You haven’t smoked in a while, huh? You can even tell the difference in purity?”

“True enough. But Brother Huan, Qiu Min told me everything. This time it’s a big deal. With those ration coupons, we’ll be living well for a while.”

Li Huan nodded. The textile factory couldn’t scrape together two thousand soap coupons, but five hundred or eight hundred was no problem. These tickets were all in short supply—once released, they’d sell out instantly.

“This is your and Qiu Min’s money. Hold on tight to it. Use it well and get her married sooner.”

“Mm. I’m already looking for a place—even just a small room will do. Once Qiu Min pays back that five hundred yuan, I’ll have a place, and then I can marry her.”

Cheng Qiao didn’t speak, but inside she was delighted. If deals like this kept coming, not only could she achieve financial freedom sooner, but Skinny Monkey and Qiu Min could also marry earlier.

The three happily made their way toward the county town. None of them noticed the pair of gloomy eyes peering at them from behind a large tree at the village entrance.

When they arrived at the shabby house, Li Huan carefully scanned the surroundings before unlocking the door. Other than the wind, no one was in sight.

“Skinny Monkey, the goods are inside. Go ask Qiu Min if she wants to pick up today. If yes, I’ll load the goods onto the ox cart and deliver them to her.”

Skinny Monkey quickly nodded, retrieved his bicycle, and pedaled toward the supply and marketing co-op. Li Huan swiftly pushed open the door. Cheng Qiao eagerly entered the room, waving her hand—two thousand bars of soap instantly appeared on the floor.

“Wife, this soap looks better quality than the co-op’s. Look how compact it is.”

Cheng Qiao nodded. As times moved forward, products would only get better and more abundant. Eventually, these bars of soap would be phased out.

While there was still time, Cheng Qiao also took out rice, flour, oil, and everything else she could spare from the space. She even poured barrel after barrel of oil into a large water vat she had brought out just then.

Seeing the big vat in the room, Li Huan was puzzled. Water wasn’t worth much—why store so much? Only when he got closer did he realize the vat was filled with oil.

“Wife, this vat must hold four or five hundred catties of oil, right?”

Cheng Qiao nodded, still busily pulling out more items. It wasn’t convenient for her to run back and forth to the county often, so she had to prepare enough for Li Huan to sell.

The couple worked together—she took things out, while he recorded everything with pen and paper. The more he wrote, the happier he became. Before, he had to pay first before getting the goods. Now, he could take them first and pay later—much more convenient.

Qiu Min hadn’t expected Cheng Qiao to work so fast. Preparing two thousand bars of soap overnight meant one thing: they had that much stock all along. She immediately took leave and rushed to the textile factory.

The factory gatekeeper warmly welcomed her inside. After all, anyone with connections to the supply and marketing co-op could bring countless benefits in the future.

“Qiu Min, you managed to get the soap?”

Textile factory supply chief, Cui Jiemin, stood up excitedly. She had nearly run her legs off trying to secure welfare supplies for the workers, but nothing had worked—until she found Qiu Min.

“Chief Cui, all two thousand bars are ready. When do you want them?”

“What’s the price?”

Instead of answering, Cui Jiemin asked her own question.

Since it was Qiu Min’s first time doing business, she had no experience and answered honestly: “Same as the co-op—forty cents a bar.”

“And the coupons?”

If she still had to pay in coupons, then why bother going through all this trouble?

“Give me as many coupons as you have. For the rest, I’ll find another way.”

“Alright, I’ve got over eight hundred soap coupons here. For the remaining thousand-plus, I’ll trade you with some of the factory’s flawed fabric. How about it?”

Qiu Min hadn’t expected such a windfall and immediately agreed without hesitation. Cui Jiemin’s eyes gleamed—she had already gauged Qiu Min’s inexperience. Clearly, this girl was still a fledgling.